During a commercial break for this year’s Grammys, Lady Gaga shocked viewers with the release of a music video for her latest single, “Abracadabra.” Both the video and the track hit the internet minutes after the broadcast.
Some of Gaga’s fans, or “Little Monsters” as she refers to them, say the song is heralding her return to the iconic era of her debut, and that the song and video are reminiscent of songs from her 2009 album, “The Fame Monster.”
The upbeat instrumental, brings a vogue-ish danceability to the track, and the video showcases a dance battle setup. Naturally, Gaga accompanies these with her strong vocals that blend upbeat dance pop with dark dramatics in a nostalgic sound.
In the song, Gaga repeatedly references “the lady in red,” who she revealed to be the personification of self-doubt.
“The lady in red is all of you that puts you to the test. Your internal monologue.” Gaga told Elle UK.
Gaga brings the lady in red to life in her video by issuing the initial dance battle challenge with words that reference the video’s mid-Grammys broadcast, “The category is… dance or die.”
In the video, an unnamed woman in white, also portrayed by Gaga, accepts the challenge alongside a large group of backup dancers, also dressed in white. Against the pitch black dance hall, they appear to be a beacon of hope and resistance against any oppression from the lady in red.
Gaga uses eccentric dance moves, intricate costuming and expressive performance to relate the experience of accepting the challenge from her own self-doubt to persevere regardless, in the name of being her most authentic self.
The song’s chorus features a repetitive string of what sounds like nonsense, familiar to those who were fans of Gaga’s “Bad Romance,” but taking a closer look at the lyrics reveals the artist did her research.
In the middle of her incantation-like lyrics, Gaga hides the Latin words “amor” and “morta,” “love” and “death,” which comes full-circle to the chorus’s last lyric “In her tongue she said, ‘death or love tonight.’”
Ultimately, Gaga does a beautiful job, using all the elements at her disposal to shed light on the struggles of simultaneously craving authenticity and fear of judgement, and “Abracadabra” brings to light another degree of judgement, originating from inside oneself.
As an artist, Gaga’s performance art and wordplay come through once again in an evocative piece, as catchy as it is meaningful.
The brand of fighting for and cherishing oneself isn’t new to Gaga. The theme appears in some of her earlier songs, including “Dance in the Dark” and “Born This Way.” It’s wonderful to see her moving forward in her career while still carrying that same powerful message from 2009, with a modern twist.
“Abracadabra,” along with Gaga’s other recent single “Disease” and her Grammy-winning collaboration with Bruno Mars, “Die With a Smile,” will be tracks on her upcoming album, “Mayhem” set for release on March 7.
